In only its first year, the Grossmont Community College Polo Club is on its way to a winning season.
It’s a small team of friends who met in high school and share a love of horses and the game.
“It is a very fun, competitive team sport that also involves a love of animals," said Zoey Newton, 21, who has played polo since middle school. "Most team sports don’t involve the love of animals and horses."
Newton has also worked for the Lakeside Polo Club, which started an interscholastic league to grow the sport in East County.
Last fall, Newton and her high school friends decided it was time to get competitive on a collegiate polo field. The Grossmont College students are paired with horses they either own, rent or borrow to compete in a sport.
Nicole Bankhead and her husband purchased the polo club property in 2014, intending to make equestrian activities more accessible to the community. She has had a lifelong love of horses, and polo was a natural extension of that.
"Not only do you have your teammate who is first and foremost the horse, but you also have supportive players. Together with the strategy of the game (of polo), it's the most challenging thing I've ever done on horseback," Bankhead said.
Two members of the Bankhead family are on the men's team.
“I grew up with horses. So, it’s pretty special to me to play a sport on a horse that I love a lot," said Ethan Bankhead, 19.
The men's team is undefeated after wins over Stanford, Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, and is qualified for nationals held at the University of Virginia.
Christian Munteanu, 18, is excited to be part of the unexpected season.
"Our first ever year as a college team, and we’re already out there beating top-tier teams. It feels pretty good," Munteanu said.
The women's team has a record of 3-and-1 and is headed to California regionals later this spring.
“We’re all college students paying for this super fun thing, but not necessarily the cheapest sport. Any time you get into a collegiate sport, I don’t think it’s cheap," Newton said.
As they gallop to success, the Grossmont team is also fundraising for their future. The women will play an exhibition match in Lakeside this Friday against UC Davis, while the men play a team of local players and hopefully win over some new fans, too.
“There is this sport available. You don’t have to necessarily know how to play it. You can come and enjoy it. It's a great community. There’s a lot of people who are just horse enthusiasts," said Abigail Purdy, 24, who studies biology at Grossmont.
A rain date is set for Feb. 16. Money raised from the event will go to pay for travel to the upcoming out-of-town championship matches.
